“It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.”
If there’s one thing that makes a story truly unforgettable, it’s a character who defies all sense of control and logic – someone so completely unhinged that you can’t look away. Whether they’re driven by intense emotion, calculated madness or sheer unpredictability, these characters take readers on a wild ride from start to finish. They can be responsible for spinning their own lives into chaos, disrupting every relationship they come across or upending an otherwise orderly world around them. From psychological thrillers to dark comedies, books with characters offer a blend of shock and fascination, leaving readers transfixed on what might happen next at every turn. Which is why we here at What We Reading thought we would pay homage to some of our favourite unhinged characters with the best books featuring characters who are off the rails in the most compelling ways possible! Heads up, plenty of spoilers lie ahead.
Fight Club (Fight Club #1) – Chuck Palahniuk
First up on our list of books with unhinged characters is Chuck Palahniuk’s iconic novel, Fight Club. At its heart, Fight Club follows an unnamed narrator whose mundane, consumer-driven existence takes a sharp turn when he meets the charismatic and anarchic Tyler Durden. Together, they form an underground fight club for men to let their aggression out; however, things spiral into chaos as the group evolves into a destructive anti-establishment movement.
The real focus of Fight Club is on the narrator’s unravelling mental state. Dissatisfied with where his life is, his psyche fractures and he creates Tyler as an embodiment of all the traits he feels he is missing – confidence, rebellion and raw masculinity. The narrator’s journey is one of self-destruction. As the boundary between the narrator and Tyler blur, it culminates in the shocking reveal that Tyler is a result of his imagination. What makes the narrator unhinged is not just the chaos he partakes in, but also the complete disintegration of of his identity.
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American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
Set in the glitzy, superficial world of 1980s Manhattan, Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy investment banker who lives his high-society life by day, and indulges in violent, sadistic fantasies by night. As Bateman’s double life develops, his increasingly disturbing acts blur the lines between reality and delusion.
Patrick Bateman embodies the hollow, materialistic culture of his time. Beneath his chiselled exterior lies a complete sociopath. His psychopathic tendencies emerge through his violent outbursts and obsessive need for control. What makes Bateman truly unhinged is his descent into violence without any clear prompt other than power and pleasure. His ability to seamlessly blend into society is terrifying, leading readers to question whether any of his monstrous acts are real or just a result of his deteriorating psyche.
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The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
Iain Banks’ The Wasp Factory is a dark and unsettling story whose unhinged character is Frank Cauldhame, a disturbed teenager living on a remote Scottish island. Frank spends his days conducting bizarre rituals and allowing his hatred for the world outside to fester. The story centres around his isolated existence, his troubled family and the horrifying secrets lying beneath the surface.
Frank is one of the most unhinged characters in modern fiction. His worldview is shaped by isolation and tragedy, and his ‘Wasp Factory’ contraption serves as a potent metaphor for the control he craves over life and death. Frank’s violent tendencies, coupled with his total lack of empathy, reveal a deeply disturbed mind struggling to adjust to his fractured reality.
Verity – Colleen Hoover
In Colleen Hoover’s Verity, struggling author Lowen Ashleigh is hired to complete a bestselling novel after the series’ author, Verity Crawford, is incapacitated by an accident. Whilst sorting through Verity’s notes at home, Lowen stumbles upon an incomplete autobiography that paints Verity in a shocking new light – revealing her dark, manipulative and deeply disturbed nature.
Verity is the quintessential unreliable character, even though she is largely silent and off-page. Through the chilling manuscript Lowen discovers, readers learn about her calculating cruelty, particularly toward her children and husband. Verity’s writing reveals her to be truly unhinged, driven by an obsession for control and a profound lack of empathy. Her capability to hide her true nature behind the facade of an innocent loving wife adds to the tension and sprinkles a layer of ambiguity to the narrative.
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The Bell Jar – Sylvia Path
The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiographical novel that follows Esther Greenwood, a bright young woman who earns a prestigious internship in New York City. As Esther faces increasing pressure to succeed and conform, she begins to spiral into depression, feeling trapped by the expectations of society and her own deteriorating mental health.
Esther’s journey in The Bell Jar is a harrowing portrait of a mind slowly unravelling. First shown to be ambitious and driven, Esther’s sense of inadequacy and alienation leads to her struggling to reconcile her desires with social norms. What makes her one of the most unhinged characters in literature is her sense of isolation and loss of identity. As Esther’s mental state worsens, readers are given a powerful meditation on how societal pressures and internal turmoil can converge to push a character to the edge of sanity.
The Girl On The Train – Paula Hawkins
One of the bestselling thrillers over the past decade, Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train follows Rachel Watson, a woman whose life has unravelled in the wake of her divorce and her struggles with alcoholism. Each morning, she rides the same commuter train and becomes fixated on a seemingly perfect couple she sees from the window. When the woman from the couple disappears, Rachel inserts herself into the investigation, triggering a dangerous descent into obsession and instability.
Rachel is one of the most unhinged unreliable narrators whose life is defined by loss and regret. Her excessive drinking leads to blackouts and her inability to trust her own memories makes her a vulnerable and fragile character. As she becomes more obsessed with the missing woman, her self-destructive tendencies and need for validation lead to her making reckless decisions that put her in harm’s way. What makes her an unforgettable unhinged character is her perception of reality, where her desire to escape her own life leads to the boundaries between reality and truth becoming skewered.
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The Little Friend – Donna Tartt
Donna Tartt’s The Little Friend revolves around twelve-year-old Harriet Cleve Dufresnes, who becomes obsessed with solving the murder of her brother, Robin, who was killed when she was just a baby. Set in the deep South, the novel intertwines Harriet’s quest for justice with her coming-of-age in a decaying and mysterious world.
Harriet is a fiercely intelligent and determined child; nevertheless, her obsession with avenging her brother’s death leads her to reckless extremes. Isolated from her distant family, Harriet constructs a dangerous narrative about who is responsible for Robin’s murder. What makes her unhinged is her single-mindedness and focus on solving a crime she barely understands. Her youth and naivety are unsettling for readers to follow as she barrels forward into situations far beyond her control.
You (You #1) – Caroline Kepnes
You tells the story of Joe Goldberg, a charming yet deeply disturbed bookstore manager who becomes fixated and infatuated with a customer named Guinevere Beck. As he inserts himself into her life through stalking and manipulation, Joe’s obsessions escalate, revealing the sinister lengths he will resort to in order to control the object of his desire.
Joe is another example of the effectiveness of an unreliable narrator, whose charism and intelligence mask a deeply unsettling nature. He justifies his increasingly violent and intrusive actions, viewing himself as a romantic hero rather than a dangerous individual willing to eliminate anyone who threatens his vision of love. What makes Joe one of the most unhinged characters in books is his ability to compartmentalise his emotions, presenting himself as a caring partner all whilst his inner monologues demonstrate a distorted sense of morality.
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The Collector – John Fowles
John Fowles’ The Collector follows Frederick Clegg, a lonely and socially awkward man who becomes obsessed with a young art student named Miranda Grey. After winning a substantial sum in the lottery, Frederick abducts Miranda and keeps her hidden in his basement, hoping to win her love and affection through control and isolation.
Frederick is a complex character whose obsessive fixation on Miranda reveals a deeply fragile psyche. His motivations come from a lifetime’s worth of rejection and unfulfilled desires, leading him to believe that he can capture love through coercion. Like Joe from You, he sees himself as a romantic hero, offering readers a chilling mix of innocence and brutality. Frederick attempts to rationalise his kidnapping, exposing a warped worldview where he sees her as an object of desire, rather than a person.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
